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Nevado del Huila about to erupt, say experts

Feb 5, 2009posted by Jonathan Roorda

A major eruption of Colombia’s highest volcano, the Nevado del Huila,
seems imminent. This was revealed by experts and authorities on
Thursday.

A fly-over performed on Wednesday showed a large ‘dome’ of lava hanging over the volcano, which could indicate that an eruption is about to occur. As such, those living in the danger area were ordered to evacuate immediately.

“The volcano has a significantly strong dome and we don’t know when an eruption could occur, said national emergencies director Luz Amanda Pulido. It is however certain that the dome is still growing which means an increased level of danger.

“That’s why the government took the decision to evacuate these zones of high risk. We are now looking at who are those families, where they are living and where we could take them as fast as possible,” Pulido added.

The Nevado del Huila began showing activity in 2007, after having remained dormant for more than 500 years. Four eruptions have occurred since, most recently in November last year. That particular eruption reportedly took ten lives. If experts are right, a next eruption could be stronger than any of the previous four.